1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image print system for printing still pictures from an image file having additional information, which file contains image data representing the still images and additional information representing characteristics of the image data.
2. Description of the Background Art
An electronic digital still camera (DS camera), for example, records on a recording medium like an IC (integrated circuit) memory card not only images in the form of digital data, but also additional information representing characteristics of photographed images such as exposure, color filter information about the image pickup device. For example, Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 75922/1993 assigned to the same assignee as that of the present application discloses a photosensitive film with an additional information recording area, which has magnetic strips formed on a silver-halide photo-sensitive film for recording the additional information as in an advanced photograph system (APS). Besides, an enhanced APS is proposed which comprises a film cartridge including an IC memory in which the additional information is to be recorded.
In addition, a system is also proposed which implements various image operations like image composition using such additional information recorded on the image file. For example, Japanese patent application No. 35781/1996 filed in the name of the same assignee as that of the present application discloses an image composite apparatus for combining desired images into a template image using the additional information. Since the DS (digital still) camera stores the image in the digital form, the user can achieve the image operation or processing by himself or herself with the DS camera itself or a personal computer. To obtain higher resolution, beautiful finish color pictures such as those printed on postal cards, it is preferable to request to a specialist like a photo laboratory. For example, Japanese patent application No. 35780/1996 filed in the name of the same assignee as that of the present application discloses an image filing system which converts, in a laboratory of specialists, images into digital image data, and stores them on an image data recording medium like an magneto-optical disk.
In the state of the art, solid-state image pickup devices like a CCD (charge-coupled device) employed in the DS cameras, for example, have a rather narrow dynamic range. The DS cameras employing a memory card as a recording medium of the image data, however, have an advantage of being able to rewrite image data on the memory card many times. Besides, diversification of the image recording system and recording media makes it possible to use various types of recording media from silver-halide photosensitive film to magnetic recording media and optical recording media. In addition, the environment for processing the image data and additional information is also growing diversified such that users can process the image data or add the additional information using personal computers.
In view of the state of the art described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image print system capable of achieving high quality image printing from an image file having additional information with various types of image data and their additional information utilized.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image print system for printing a picture from an image file having additional information, wherein the image print system receives image data obtained by taking a subject, and additional information associated with the image data; carries out processing of the image data in accordance with the additional information; and produces in the form of a visible image an image represented by the image data which have undergone the processing.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image print system for printing a picture from an image file having additional information, comprising: an input device for receiving image data obtained by taking a subject, and additional information associated with the image data; an image processor connected to the input device for carrying out processing of the image data in accordance with the additional information; and an output device for producing in the form of a visible image an image represented by the image data which have undergone the processing.
Here, the additional information may include correlation information for temporally or spatially correlating image data of a plurality of images, and the image processor may carry out at least one of selecting and combining of image data of the plurality of images designated by the correlation information.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of printing a picture from an image file having additional information, comprising the steps of: capturing an image of a subject to generate image data representing the image of the subject; generating additional information associated with the image data; transferring the image data together with the additional information to an image reproduction system; processing by the image reproduction system the image data in accordance with the additional information transferred; and producing in the form of a visible image an image represented by the image data which have been processed by the image reproduction system.